And If there was a tomorrow

Chapter 10

 Peter was awake all night, thinking. He wasn't sure if he had done the right thing. He couldn't conceal the things Linda and Mary Ann did, but he wasn't sure how much these things would affect her. He was also uncertain about how she'd handle the latest news. He even thought about calling her again, but after thinking for a while, he assumed she needed some time to digest and absorb all that. Now, he needed to carry his plan forward. The first step was to inform the team that Ed had made up facts and supposed many things equivocally. The second step was the hardest, because it meant to fiercely expose him, to put him in a position that wouldn't allow him to travel to Paris and cause him embarrassment and problems, in a way that he would regret for the rest of his life. He was not proud of being manipulating that information and creating revenge, but deep down in his soul, it made him feel good. The feeling that there is justice in this world kept him in a particularly good mood.

He called his secretary and asked her to call everyone in, including the ones on their day-off, even if they could only join virtually. Benefits of the hybrid world. He said that it would be a quick meeting, which shouldn't take more than ten minutes. She obeyed and called everyone, as well as sent zoom invitations for the ones joining remotely. He thought about the speech he would give but wouldn't disclose details. He would be straightforward. The details and particularities of the story would be shared with another audience, but he still needed to work on it.

He would have to count with the help of a colleague with whom he hadn't talked to in many years, someone who had always been rightful and fair, and that's why he believed it would be possible. He opened his computer, his e-mail, looked for his address and wrote him a message with the summarized version of the story. Then he sent it. Now, the dice was cast, and he needed the universe to contribute with some luck. He closed everything and went down to the conference room where the meeting would take place. People were arriving, the place was getting packed, and everyone displayed doubt in their faces. Everyone but Mary Ann, who assumed to know everything he was going to say. Peter waited for a few minutes until everyone settled down and began:

"Good morning, everyone. I promise I'll be brief, for I know we all have many things to do. I called you here because I realized there have been some speculation about what happened to Linda, so I decided to officially inform you. I know Linda's ex-boyfriend made a big fuss with her possible dismissal, and I also know that he, at minimum, made up some stories about her. I wanted to tell you that I did not fire Linda, I just gave her a few days off to let things cool down. She is a great professional and I believe many of us here admire her and she doesn't deserve, at any level, to go through all that. I supposed that giving her some days away from here would be good to protect her and to give her a chance to calm down and internally work on everything. But I never thought, it never crossed my mind, to lose such a wonderful employee and a great person. So, that's what I wanted to state."

He clearly noticed some expressions of relief and even others of happiness. One of the nurses raised her hand and he asked her to speak.

─ Peter, thank you for telling us. We were apprehensive since yesterday from the things we heard. And I think I speak for many people here; we agree with you. Linda is indeed a great person and many of us have already needed her, and she helped, and even when we didn't, she also helped us, because that's who she is. As a professional, I can't recall having worked with someone who was more human, more empathetic, more thoughtful, and competent than her. I'm very thrilled with this information and I agree that, with this mayhem of events, it's probably best to give her some time off. But how did you convince her? Judging by her character, I doubt she promptly agreed to take a break.

Peter smiled.

─ It wasn't easy, but I was persuasive, and I used my position to make a top-down decision. I didn't give her much choice.

She nodded.

─ Anyone else?

One of the doctors, a colleague of Linda stood up:

─ Can't we do anything about this, this... I don't even know what words can be used to refer to him.

─ Are you talking about Edmund?

─ Yes.

─ I think that what goes around comes around. I'm sure he will have to pay for the bad things he did. ─ and he glimpsed at Mary Ann.

He heard some people saying that they hoped he was right, and with that, people started leaving the room and the meeting was over. He went back to his office, opened his computer to go back to his duties. He noticed that he had received a personal e-mail. He felt his heart racing. 'Did it work?' He opened his inbox.

'Dear Peter,

It's great to hear from you. I'd rather it wasn't because of such story, but lately, physical, psychological, patrimonial, emotional, and sexual violence against women (and not only to them) seems to be getting more frequent. You know that I like the idea of standing up for people, so I'm in. I'm sorry for your personal history, I really didn't know about it, but if you agree, I think we can expose this guy and tell your story, as well as your employee's story. I believe that, after that, this offender will have a lot of explaining to do, and we can give voice to many people who went through the same thing. Let me know when you are available so we can set up an interview. It'd be great if your employee is present to. I hope to hear from you soon. Best regards, Maurice. PS: call me if you prefer, my phone is in the email signature.'

Peter drummed his fingers on the desk for a few minutes. He had achieved a space to speak up, but he didn't know if Linda would agree with the interview too. Even though his friend's request made sense, he hadn't thought about it yet. He'd have to speak with her. He tried to call, but it went straight to voice mail. He found it odd and tried again and went to voice mail once again. He decided to leave her a message so she could call him back, but he couldn't disguise the feeling in his heart. He decided to call Maurice.

As soon as he picked up, Peter explained the whole situation in detail. Everything he knew about Linda and Ed's relationship, although he didn't disclose the betrayal of Ed with Mary Ann, and details of what he had done against her and more details of what him, Peter, in the past, had suffered in the hands of Edmund. Maurice heard without interrupting but making audible assent and repulse noises. Peter also explained that he had tried to contact Linda, but didn't get a hold of her, and that he didn't know if she'd like to talk about it, and that he left her a message. By the end of the report, Maurice commented:

─ I understand your position, as well as hers. I also understand she might be reluctant to talk about all that. It's impossible to comment on it without experiencing the suffering and disappointment, but just imagine the empathy she can create if she decides to speak up and to tell her story. In addition, she can encourage and inspire many other people who are going through, or have gone through a similar situation, to speak out too. It's very important to give voice to ordinary people. Thus, we make society more aware of this reality, and we can draw the attention to the fact that we are all in charge of informing and reporting. Talk to her if you can and try to convince her. I'm very busy today with things at the newsroom here, but I can stop by tomorrow at nine a.m. if you can.

─ It's okay by me. I'll put on my agenda. I'll try to talk to her again.

─ Great, see you tomorrow!

─ See you! And Maurice... thank you very much.

─ Don't mention it! You are welcome. You know this is a topic I like and support. So, I'm the one who should be thanking you. See you in the morning.

Peter hung up and reclined his chair. The following days would be crucial, and he looked forward to them.